By Ashish Dwivedi Drip marketing is basically sending messages to customers on a specific schedule or time and based on their actions. The emails are prewritten and automated. You can send drip messages via emails, SMSs, or social media posts. Always attach your website’s link there in order to generate more website traffic on your webpage and increase your brand awareness. Through drip campaigns, businesses generate enormous ROIs.
“According to a survey, almost 50% of the traffic on an e-commerce website comes from SMSs.”
Drip SMS Use Cases
1. Cart abandoned problem
Cart abandonment problem is one of the most common problems faced by e-commerce companies. Maximum customers keep things in their cart and delay buying them or don’t buy them at all due to several reasons. Winning these customers can boost a company’s revenue a lot. Maximum people do online shopping from their mobiles hence SMS is the best solution to bring them to your website. SMSs have an open rate of 98% and 50% are responded to. Abandoned cart contains a lot of revenue in themselves. Hence it’s very crucial for businesses to push customers to make those purchases. Sending customers a text message containing a link to their cart and giving some offers on that would definitely motivate customers to take it as an opportunity and make a purchase. Offers and discounts are the most effective ways to make a customer purchase.
According to a survey
- 75% of consumers make a purchase from offers received via SMS.
- 54% of customers purchase items left in their cart if offered at a lower price.
This shows how effective cart abandonment drips can be.
2. Automated SMS drip
An automated SMS drip is a set of messages sent on specific timeframes set by the administrator. You can target specific audiences whenever they perform certain activities.
Strategies for good SMS automated drips
- Start your campaign first by sending an abandoned browse and checkout message.
- Don’t bombard your subscribers with messages. Send them a maximum single message per week.
- Except for abandoned cart messages rest of the other drips have three messages in a flow.
Abandoned Browse-
This means when a user has viewed your website but didn’t buy anything. Either the customer is visiting your website for the first time or they might be comparing your products and services with that of others. They will definitely buy from where they will find better offers. Therefore it’s very important to always oblige your customers with exciting offers and recapture their attention.
Welcome Messages-
These are like an introduction or greeting to your new subscribers. Here you have to give the impression of your brand in the best way. In order to make your messages more effective and impactful always include images and short video clips. And always include offers, a subscription option for them, and a direct link to your website.
3. Post-Purchase SMS
Just acquiring a customer is not enough to run a business maintaining them is equally important as permanent customers contribute a lot to the company’s revenue. Customer retention should always be among the top priorities of a company. A post-purchase message is one such way to keep a customer intact. It inculcates a feeling in the customer that they are being given attention to and they matter to you. Adding a review option in your message would act as the icing on the cake. Online reviews are the most powerful tool nowadays as people before buying anything look at online reviews and then decide whether to buy it or not. Ask for reviews at the right time for an accessory, or food item you can ask for review right then but for a skincare product ask for reviews after 2-3 months.
4. Transactional SMS Triggers
Transactional triggers are basically reactions created by customers’ actions. By using transactional triggers you can keep customers updated with purchase confirmations, shipping notifications, or upcoming subscription reminders. For example, companies send notices to their customers when their cards are charged soon. Companies must offer their customers an option to pause and cancel their subscriptions. These features give customers a better experience.
5. Back-in-Stock Notifications
Every time a company cannot have a stock of its items and services. It’s impossible practically. Sometimes a company may run out of stock with its items. Adding the back stock option will give notifications to customers whenever the product is back in stock. Your loyal customers who actually like your product would definitely buy them. Why close all the doors for a customer? Improve customer experience in order to increase your own revenue. You can re-engage your lost customers by using back-in-stock notifications. SMS will be more effective than emails as people open SMSs more.
6. Drip and Nurturing Campaigns
In a drip campaign, a company sends messages to the people irrespective of the fact whether people respond to them or not. Whereas in nurturing campaign messages are triggered by customers’ actions. Sending both of these messages through SMS is a very effective way to make people aware of your brand and how it can benefit them.
7. Product Launches
Whenever a company launches a new product it can give notifications through SMS to its regular customers about that. Your regular customers who really like and appreciate your products and services would definitely consider buying them. If you give them certain offers and discounts chances would definitely increase.
8. SMS coupons
You can send your SMS coupons to your regular customers and leads with certain expiry dates which set a timeline for them and motivate them to buy. People are always tempted by offers. And whenever this offer comes during a certain timeline chances of people buying increase greatly. If the message includes images it makes it more impactful.
9. Free giveaways
You can introduce your products to the market by giving giveaways. If people become extremely fond of your product they will definitely pay for it the next time. People admire free products so much that these campaigns always achieve great success.
This campaign solves four purposes
- It informs the customers about new products and services.
- It involves a lot of customers as people participate in getting free products.
- It popularizes your products
- And later based on audiences’ responses you can segment your audiences.
10. Limited-time Offer
Many drip campaigns have achieved great success when they have given offers and discounts but even added a deadline that this offer/discount is only valid up to a certain period. People find this as an opportunity and utilize this.
11. Offers on your company’s anniversary
Always thank and show your gratitude towards your customers on your anniversary as whatever you are today is because of them only. You should definitely give them offers on your anniversary as people always wait for offers. Also thanking them on your anniversary will inculcate a feeling in them that they are being taken care of. All these contribute to increased customer retention.
12. Offline and Online Events
Hosting events offline or through an online webinar is always beneficial. Try to involve customers and leads with you as much as possible. These events make customers know your brand and its products and services better. How your products can services can be helpful to them? And last but not least give offers to people who attended your event.
13. Free Consultation
Just like events offer free consultations to your customers and leads. More people will come to you if their problems are solved or if they are personally taught about a brand. It will help you to solve their problems and understand their behavior patterns better. This will help you to cater to their needs better.
14. Birthdays and anniversaries of customers and Prospects
Always oblige your customers and leads by giving them special offers and discounts on their birthdays and anniversaries. As people generally shop on their birthdays and anniversaries and if you give them offers then chances of them buying from you increase to a great extent. Also, it makes them feel nurtured.
Conclusion-
SMSs have an opening rate of 98% and 50% of those are responded to. Hence SMS is one of the best platforms to run your drip campaign as people carry their phones every time. Maximum e-commerce shopping is done via mobiles only. Hence businesses should utilize this platform to build their revenue as this contains a major part of the revenue.
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